Two Months In Santa Fe

I arrived in Santa Fe, NM (aka My Happy Place) at the beginning of May ready to paint, network with other artists, find a gallery to represent me and enjoy the arts and culture of The City Different. After getting settled in to my little casita, I began painting, participated in the annual Canyon Road Spring Art Festival by painting live at Acosta-Strong Fine Art and dropped off a painting for a group show at Metallo Gallery in the quaint and quirky small town of Madrid, NM. Not too bad for my first week in Santa Fe.

What a treat is was to get to paint with three other amazing artists from this gallery. They were all so gracious and I loved being introduced as their "visiting guest artist". After I came down from that high it was time to meet with the galleries who agreed to see my art. The first one was a polite "no thank you" but the second one was a huge YES!!! I came in toting two bags filled with art and I'm happy to say the Turquoise Butterfly Gallery took all 11 pieces of my art.

After celebrating that victory I got back to painting and was able to complete five new paintings. I've just finished adding them to my website. Please click here to visit my website.

Sacred Start, 12" x 12" acrylic on canvas

There's a reason Santa Fe is the third largest art market in the country. With more than 100 fine art galleries and artist studios in one short mile, Canyon Road offers an incredibly diverse array of artwork by established and emerging artists. As a collector, whether you prefer art that is contemporary, abstract, modern, expressionistic, traditional, western or Native American, it’s all here.

And, of course no trip to Santa Fe would be complete without a visit to the Georgia O'Keeffe museum and her home and studio in Abiquiu. O'Keeffe is my muse so I never miss an opportunity to visit these places. I could write an entire blog on how much her life and work inspires me.

I'm preparing for a solo show in Tampa at the Rialto Theatre in September so I'll be painting all summer. And, with all the inspiration collected from my trip those paintings should burst onto the canvases. I'll share more on this as it gets closer. If you're local I hope you will come out to join me.

Thank you so much for being fans, patrons and collectors of my art. Your support means the world to me.

Blessings from your artist, Mary

“I had this desire and interest in painting to want to do my own things.”

— Georgia O'Keeffe

Following My Inner Voice

Study, acrylic and oil pastel on canvas board

So I blinked and another month swooshed by. Even with February having pulled the short stick for days of the month, it has been a whirlwind. I was able to paint a few new pieces, but most of the month was spent on the "business side" of my art. Online training, show/exhibition applications, researching galleries for representation and website tweaking. Not the glamorous side of being an artist.

It wasn't all work though. There was fun to be had in February. I began playing with a black and white palette and the first painting completed (shown below) sold within days. Now that gets an artist excited!! Winter Whispers will be off to a lovely collector in Oklahoma.

The REALLY EXCITING news I want to share is that I'll be leaving in just 65 short days, headed to Santa Fe, NM for two months of painting, networking, painting, meeting with galleries and live painting outside Acosta-Strong Fine Art, one of Canyon Road's finest art galleries. Did I mention I will be painting? And. where else to paint but in the third largest art city in the country?

I invite you to learn more about this amazing opportunity friends. A Go Fund Me campaign has been established to help offset lodging and art supply expenses. I will auction one painting from my trip with 100% of proceeds going to charity to show my deepest appreciation for everyone's support. No contribution is too small.

Thank you so much friends for being fans, patrons and collectors of my art. Your support means the world to me.

Blessings from your artist, Mary

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way - things I had no words for.”

— Georgia O'Keeffe

Carmen Mandato Photography